And we meet again
by purple.sunrise
Summary: Set during 2x9 Emily Prentiss arrival at the BAU has her walking into someone's web and face to face with an old flame. Oneshot. 1st in Hotchniss storyline
1. Chapter 1

**Hope you enjoy this oneshot. The dialogue in the last section is directly from the episode.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **And we meet again**

Emily Prentiss was nervously tapping her foot on floor in front of her.

She was in the reception area of Section Chief Erin Strauss' office. The Section Chief was apparently running behind on her schedule. Emily had an appointment and was waiting to meet with her. A few minutes earlier the assistant to the Section Chief came over to apologize for the delay. Emily smiled and thanks the woman for the information.

Today was her first day back at Quantico since graduating from the Academy. Her eagerly anticipated transfer to the BAU had been approved last week.

A coveted specialized unit that she has sought transfer to for over a year. She had applied for the profiler position each time one had been become available since psych cleared her for full duty after her time with Interpol.

She was anxious to meet with the Section Chief to make the transfer official.

Just then the door to the office opened and an older blonde woman came out and walked over to her. She held out her hand and said, "You must be Agent Prentiss. It is very nice to meet you. Please come in. I apologize for the delay. An issue came up this morning that needed to be addressed right away."

The lie had come out smoothly and the profiler did not give any indication that she had noticed.

Erin Strauss hadn't been handling an urgent issue. Or on the phone at all.

She had noticed the younger woman arrive in her office 20 minutes before her appointment time. Chief Strauss wanted to put Emily Prentiss off kilter, and by making her wait, hoped to do that.

And from what she observed as Prentiss waited, she had succeed somewhat.

The delay in meeting with this particular agent was purely strategic. Because Chief Strauss had a goal and a master plan to make it happen. This agent was, hopefully, going to be a significant part in the success of that plan.

But she wasn't going to tell Agent Prentiss what her role would be.

At least not yet.

If Strauss mentioned the secondary reason for Prentiss' appointment to the BAU it could blow up Strauss' face if Prentiss took exception.

When Erin Strauss saw the name Emily Prentiss on the list of agents interested in transferring to the BAU, she knew this would be the perfect way to succeed in her goal to get rid of Aaron Hotchner.

For good.

And it had to be in the next 8 months before he was eligible for promotion.

On paper, Emily Prentiss was a perfect addition to the BAU- experienced, highly educated and had specialized knowledge that they looked for in profilers. More than qualified for the team.

There was nothing in her official records that Aaron Hotchner could use to legally reject her outright now that her transfer was approved.

He would need to show cause.

And cause takes time.

And evidence.

In addition, Emily Prentiss was the child of diplomats. She had grown up in those circles and understood how politics works unlike the eccentric group that currently made up the BAU team.

Having met Elizabeth Prentiss multiple times, it was clear to Strauss that the Ambassador, like Strauss herself, did what was necessary to ensure the best outcome for herself. Strauss' plan rested on the Ambassador's daughter operating under the same mindset.

With proper incentive, Strauss was certain she'd be able to gain the information she needed from this new agent.

And, most shockingly, Strauss had discovered an undisclosed past relationship between Agents Prentiss and Hotchner.

According to her sources, they had been deeply involved a couple of years before Emily Prentiss joined the FBI. The rumors were that things ended very badly and they hadn't spoken since they broke up. The exact circumstances she was unable to find out.

However that wasn't important. A highly qualified ex-girlfriend joining the team was a perfect way to crack Hotchner's wall of professionalism.

And in a few months, Strauss would approach Prentiss see how much of Hotchner's dirty laundry she would share. A chance to screw over an ex AND further her career, there was no way that Emily Prentiss wouldn't be willing to negotiate.

Deals would need to be made and Strauss was prepared for that. IF it got rid of Hotchner once and for all.

"Yes ma'am. Thank you for meeting with me." Emily said standing up and shaking the older woman's hand.

"The pleasure is all mine Agent. Let's review your file. I just have a few questions. Then we can discuss the expectations as a member of the BAU." Strauss replies walking into her office, over behind her desk before sitting in her chair. She motions to Emily to sit in one of the visitor chairs in front of the desk.

 **####**

The meeting was starting to drag.

How many more mundane and redundant expectations could this woman have!?

Emily was already finding it difficult to warm up to the older woman. It was taking all of her experience growing up to continue to appear interested in what Strauss was saying.

Her profiler's instinct was telling her that something was off but she could not put her finger on what.

After a few more minutes Strauss says. "Do you have any questions, Agent Prentiss?" Strauss looks over her desk at Emily and then down at the papers in front of her. Agent Prentiss' transfer papers. She quickly signs them in the necessary spots.

"No ma'am. Not at this time." Emily replies, relieved that this meeting is coming to an end.

"In that case I'm going to send you over to the BAU now. I would generally walk over with you. However, the situation I mentioned earlier is ongoing and I am needed in the Director's office.

Agent Hotchner is the Unit Chief for the team you will be joining. Just go to his office and hand him this paperwork and you should be all set. He'll take care of anything else you need." Strauss hands Emily the signed and completed transfer papers as she observes the younger woman's reactions to the revelation.

"Ma'am. Is that Aaron Hotchner?" Emily could feel the blush rising up her face.

"Yes, Agent Prentiss. Do you know him?" Strauss looked at blush on the face of the agent in front of her but did not comment. She was working hard not to show her glee at the other woman's reaction.

"We met years ago. I don't understand. I applied for a position on the team you supervise and Agent Gideon was the field lead." Emily replied quietly, looking confused.

"I'm sorry for the confusion. As Section Chief, I supervise the all the teams in the BAU in addition to other departments. Agent Hotchner is the Unit Chief and SSAIC for the BAU team that currently has an opening. Agent Gideon is a senior member of the team. He stepped down as Unit Chief almost 2 years ago. And he is no longer the field lead either. Are you reconsidering accepting the transfer? We have many other interested applicants, Agent Prentiss."

"No, ma'am. I want the position." Emily replied nervously grasping her transfer papers with both hands.

"Very well. Go back down the hallway towards the elevators to the lobby. Then go through the glass doors, turn left once in the bullpen, go up the stairs and his office is at the top of the stairs. Agent Hotchner is working in his office this morning. And any problems, please let me know. My door is always open, Agent Prentiss."

"Thank you ma'am for the opportunity."

Emily slowly stood up. She then placed her paperwork into her box before picking the box up and walked out of Erin Strauss' office.

Why, oh why did it need to be his team she was assigned. It had been years since Emily had heard the name Aaron Hotchner. In many ways, she hoped to never hear his name or see his face again.

Now that was no longer a choice. If she wanted this job. And as she had just told Erin Strauss, she did.

 **####**

Erin Strauss watched as Emily Prentiss slowly walked into the hallway that headed to the BAU. A smile slowly crosses her face. That meeting had gone better than she had expected.

There was a moment of trepidation after Emily learned the name of her new supervisor if she was just going to change her mind about the transfer. Thankfully she didn't. However it was clear for a few seconds that she was shocked.

Now the pieces to Strauss' plan were set. Hopefully in a few months she would be reaping the benefits of hiring this agent.

Now the face to face meeting. She would love to observe THAT interaction. However, if she was present, Hotchner would certainly stay professional. And that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted a visceral reaction to this completely unexpected addition to his team. And that it was this particular woman.

Now, looking at the clock on her wall, Strauss noticed she did need to leave for her own meeting. It was best that she was out of her office because she was certain one or both of them would be in to see her after their introduction. And she wanted them both to stew for a while.

 **####**

Emily was mulling the reality of the situation she now found herself in as she walked down the hall towards the BAU bullpen. She was going to need to not only see Aaron everyday but work with him. Deal with him being her supervisor. Take orders from him. Trust him to have her back in the field. Well, it wasn't the first time she needed to work with someone she despised.

Stopping outside the glass doors, Emily takes a deep breath. And then another one. She wants to be a profiler for the FBI. If she needs to make nice with Aaron Hotchner, then so be it. 'This is really going to suck.' Then, she pasted a smile on her face before open the doors and walks into the bullpen.

 **####**

Aaron Hotchner sat down at his desk knowing he wasn't going to be in his office for long. JJ had briefed him about a case that was going to need their immediate attention with 2 UNSUBs or 2 serial killers both targeting women in the St Louis area. The team would be gathering shortly to conference on the case with wheels up ASAP.

When Hotch heard the knock on the door, he took a deep breath and shook his head. He really hoped it wasn't Spencer again asking when Hotch was going to requisition a new stapler for him.

Earlier in the week during a 'physics' mishap AKA one of Reid's magic tricks in the bullpen, his stapler fell to the floor and the slider where staples are held popped open and broke off. It would be Spencer who would find a way to break an indestructible commercial grade stapler.

Hotch couldn't tell when he returned to the bullpen what exactly Spencer had been doing for his 'experiment' because what Hotch saw was a pile of random office supplies along with the broken stapler.

And until he could think of a reason to order a replacement that Strauss wouldn't ream him for at their next budget meeting, Spencer was going to be stuck using the bullpen common stapler. A fact that Reid had come to complain to him about every day since then.

What he was not expecting when the door open was who walked into his office. A blast from his past.

"Agent Hotchner?" He'd know that voice anywhere.

"Yes." Having difficulty getting anymore out. He stood there in shock for a few seconds.

"I'm Agent Emily Prentiss." Agent? It was her. She was just as beautiful as he remembered.

Hotch had never expected to hear her name or see her again. And now, here she was, in his office. What was the box for?

 **####**

After Aaron Hotchner dismissed her and walked away, Emily had made her way back to Erin Strauss' office.

Emily hadn't expected him to greet her with open arms but he had outright rejected her as a member of his team. She didn't know what it meant for her chances of staying on the team.

It was disheartening that as soon as she mentioned being assigned to the team, he couldn't wait to get away from her.

It had taken years for her heart to recover from his rejection in her personal life 12 years ago. Today he had rejected her outright professionally. Emily still didn't understand what she had done to him. Why he had left the way he did.

When she arrived, as expected, the Section Chief wasn't there. Still at her meeting with the Director. Luckily, her assistant was there and gave Emily an appointment for noon.

With a couple of hours until her meeting, she took the elevator down to the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee. Sitting down at one of the tables in the now almost empty cafeteria, Emily places her box on the chair in front of her. She opened the box and pulled out her transfer paperwork.

After double checking the paperwork, Emily was somewhat relieved to discover two things.

One, that Aaron Hotchner's name did not appear anywhere except where Chief Strauss wrote it in this morning. She wasn't crazy. She hadn't missed it. His name just wasn't there. But why wasn't it when he was the Unit Chief?

And two, everything was in order. There were no problems with her paperwork. Hell, she had even heard Hotchner say to the man she knew to be Jason Gideon that they appeared to be in order.

Strauss was Section Chief and so far she supported Emily's position on the team. Hopefully she would hold that position over Hotchner's certain objections.

Emily looking down at her watch. Her meeting in 90 minutes should give her some indication.

But that still doesn't answer the question- why did her arrival come as a surprise to him? He seemed genuinely confused by her appearance in his office. But maybe it was an act. He only glanced at her transfer paper but knew enough to tell Agent Gideon that they appeared to be in order.

 **####**

The team had just finished briefing with the latest information on the plane. They still had about 45 minutes before they touched down in St. Louis.

Until Garcia got back with the results of her searches, there wasn't much they could do until they were on the ground.

With a few minutes to spare, Hotch sat back in his seat and thought about Emily Prentiss. That was a name he didn't expect to hear again.

A woman he didn't think he would ever see again. She was the last person he expected to be on the other side of his door this morning.

She had the paperwork to join his team. He only had a quick glance at it but it was enough to see Behavioral Analysis Unit on the 'Receiving Department' line and Strauss' signature on the 'Receiving Supervisor's Approval' line. Why would Strauss not have consult him before making a new hire?

Or better question why didn't Strauss come over with Agent Prentiss? Strauss always walked over with new agents after her initial meeting with them. She had always been strangely formal in wanting to introduce him to the new agents on his team. Even when he and/or Gideon had handpicked them and thus knew them.

Strauss enjoyed her power plays over him. She loved to watch him squirm to stay professional as she played political games around him. It wasn't her style to hire someone for his team, ambush him with the news, and then not be there for his reaction.

Hotch looks out the window and sighed when the realization hit him. That is exactly why she she wasn't there. She didn't want him to try to stay professional. She wanted him to act unprofessionally to this agent, probably not realizing that he knew exactly who her parents were.

As the pilot announced their descent into St Louis, Hotch realized that he needed to focus on this case. Time to ponder the reemergence of Emily Prentiss in his life would have to wait.

 **####**

Emily's meeting with Strauss had been short but reassuring.

She was informed that she would be joining the BAU team once they returned to Quantico. Strauss apologized for the confusion and for Agent Hotchner's behavior.

She had stated that Agent Hotchner had been sent a memo that she would be arriving to join the team that morning. Strauss informed Emily that she would talk to the Unit Chief personally to confirm the transfer. And as soon as the team returned, Strauss would walk her over personally to ensure were no further problems.

Until then, Strauss handed her a pile of recent cases that the team worked on to look through.

Before leaving the Section Chief's office, Emily was handed a form to take to Facilities Management so she could be assigned a desk in the bullpen to work.

 **####**

Aaron Hotchner looks around his hotel room that evening and sighed. The team had come to a stopping point in the case an hour ago. They were resting for the night before resuming the investigation at the station at 8 o'clock the next morning.

When he heard his phone ringing, he looked up from the case file confused. He had just talked to Haley and Jack. Hopefully this wasn't the police chief alerting the team about another body.

He walked over to the bedside table where his phone was lying. He looked down at his phone and saw 'Strauss' and groaned. Just who he didn't want to talk to right now.

"Hotchner"

"Agent Hotchner, can you tell me why you did not take the new addition to your team on your current case?"

"Ma'am?"

"Agent Prentiss. I sent her over to your office this morning. Needless to say I was surprised to still see her here while your team is in St Louis."

"Chief Strauss, Agent Prentiss arrived this morning just as we were briefing on this case. I had no notice that we were getting a new agent or that the person would be arriving today. It is highly unusual to have an agent show up in my office saying they are joining my team without my approving them. The case we are working on now is urgent. We left as soon as we briefed the case. I did not feel the case could wait long enough for me to verify her status. And as Unit Chief, it would be reckless and potentially dangerous to take an agent into the field without reviewing their file. To know their skill set. And to brief them on team protocols. We also had no time for her to go home to pack a go bag today."

"I sent a memo about her arrival 2 days ago. It should have been delivered yesterday. She's on your team, Aaron. I suggest you review her file and review protocols with her as soon as you get back. I want her on the next case with you."

In reality, Strauss had just added the memo to the interoffice mail the evening before. From her calculations, it would be sitting in his inbox when he returned from St Louis. He would have no way of knowing that she deliberately didn't send it so that it didn't arrive before Agent Prentiss' arrival.

"Why was an agent assigned to my team without Gideon or I approving the transfer?"

"As Section Chief, I approved the transfer, Aaron. The Bureau doesn't like to leave positions open for long. Agent Greenaway resigned weeks ago. You have had files of prospective additions for almost that entire time. You weren't doing your job. As your supervisor, I did it for you. Your team is behind on cases and needs help. I will not let the reputation of the BAU or the Bureau suffer because of your inaction."

"What made you choose this agent?" Hotch says as he paces the room, wondering if he will get a straight answer.

"Look at her file, Aaron. Her skill set checks a lot of the boxes where your team is currently deficient."

"And if I'd rather chose someone else?"

"Then you should have done it weeks ago. Agent Prentiss is on your team. She is highly qualified for the position. Her recommendations are outstanding. If her work is subpar, then we can discuss options at a later date though I don't anticipate that being an issue. I'm having her review previous cases until you get back. Take care of it, Aaron."

"Yes, ma'am" Hotch got out just before he heard a dial tone on the other end of the phone. He looked down at the phone and frowned at the piece of plastic before putting it back down on the bedside table.

 **####**

It was early evening when Emily arrived back at her apartment. She dropped her bag on the counter to put away later.

Opening the fridge, she pulled out the bottle of wine she had opened the evening before. Looking at the bottle, she wondered if it worth pulling out a glass or if she should just drink right from the bottle. Taking a deep breath and blowing it out, Emily decides that safer option is to pull out a glass. Finishing the bottle would be unwise. Even if the team was still out on a case, she did not want to show up at work tomorrow with a hangover. That would be bad.

After pouring her wine, Emily walked over to a chair over by her bookcase. Moving to DC so quickly, she had opted to move into the furnished apartment her family kept in the District. She had always loved the large windows and gorgeous view this apartment afforded. The decor wasn't her tastes however, she had learned through years of moving not to get attached to anything that couldn't easily be put in a box.

After settled into the chair, Emily let her mind wander to when she first met Aaron Hotchner.

Through so many of the books she read talk about love at first sight was generally met with rolling of the eyes. It didn't happen. It couldn't happen that way. Or so she thought. Then her chance encounter with Aaron Hotchner changed that opinion.

She felt something different for him from the moment their eyes met across the room. And from the look he returned, he felt it too. And for a while, she thought the love was mutual. But how could it have been? You don't just walk away from someone you love without a word.

She had heard that he was offered a position that he really wanted and that is why he had left so suddenly but why didn't he just say something. Yeah she would have been disappointed they weren't doing what they had planned. But she wouldn't have stood in his way.

Emily knew how much Aaron's career meant to him and by all appearance still was. How much he wanted to create his own legacy, not because of his name or his family but by his own accomplishments. There were probably few people who understood that better than Emily.

But his just disappearing without a word was more than just disappointing, it was heartbreaking. And if she was honest with herself, a betrayal she never really got over. The life she had envisioned with him, the life they had talked about, had never happened for her. Certainly not with him. Or with anyone else.

Coming home from those angsty three weeks in France because her grandfather's illness and death to discover that Aaron had left without a word had caused a huge hit to her already fragile self esteem.

The negative self image she had carried through most of high school hit her again with a vengeance. How else could she explain what happened? That negative self image was exacerbated over the years by her uncanny ability to agree to dates with men who on dates would turn out to be narcissistic and/or misogynist asses.

Even now, she had a hard time getting past the first couple of dates, somehow always unconsciously self sabotaging herself when she did find herself with a nice guy.

It took few years before she realized that she would compare any men she dated… to him. And rarely did they come close to measuring up. At least in her eyes. And Emily didn't want to settle. Her longest relationship since Aaron was 5 months and the length had more to do with scheduling on both their parts than actual commitment.

Long ago, she had decided to focus on her career. And she had not doubted her path until JTF-12 and Ian Doyle invaded her world. That whole mission had turned into a complete cluster that left her scarred in more ways than one. But... she didn't want to think of that right now. She couldn't allow those memories to escape from the box she had finally been able to stuff them into.

She was going to finish her glass of wine and take a shower before settling in for the night. It was going to be a long week. But Emily was finally where she wanted to be. In Quantico with a position as a profiler. And no one was going to take that from her. Especially not Aaron Hotchner.

 **####**

It was a long few days but the team had finally caught the UNSUBs, both of them. They were heading to the airstrip shortly to head back to Quantico.

His thoughts went back to what he had been thinking of on the plane several days ago. Emily Prentiss.

The day they first met was when they bumped into each other at a bookstore. He could feel the electricity between the two of them while losing himself in her eyes. She had been home on Spring Break from Yale.

Then the shock two months later when she came home on summer break of finding out she was the daughter of the woman he was assigned to do security checks for. He fell hard for her over the next two months and thought she had for him as well. However her leaving, especially the way she did, had deeply hurt him.

While he knew that her physical appearance was what initially drew him to her, that wasn't the part he had loved most about her. It was her mind. Her passion and drive. Her analytical way of approaching topics. Challenging him to explain and defend his positions.

As a lawyer, he had been trained to do this. However he found during their discussions that this exercise with her was completely different. It wasn't trying to win the argument or case with her. She had showed him to look at the deeper issues. Or the root of a problem. Exactly what he did now as a profiler.

Criminal profiling was actually an topic Emily had introduced to him. She was in the bookstore that day to buy the book written by Max Ryan, who had been one of his colleagues when Hotch first joined the BAU a few years later. The uses and merits of profiling had been their longest ongoing conversation. Why wait to catch a serial killer until after he or she has hurt multiple people and devastated countless families if there was an analytical way of catching them sooner?

Did he study it, take the courses and make this area his specialty to hold a connection to her? Hoping that day would one day their paths would cross again? No, couldn't be. Could it? Was he ready for their paths to cross again? But if not now, then when?

He was 8-9 months away from being eligible for a promotion which would more than likely take him away from the BAU and profiling unless Strauss was promoted first. Hotch sighed as he thought of Haley counting the days. Ready for this part of his career to be over. Could he work with Emily for a few months?

 **####**

Emily stood up at her desk and stretched. It was mid-afternoon and she was ready for a cup of coffee. She grabbed her mug off the desk and headed for the break room.

As she walked back to her desk, Strauss greeted her. She informed Emily that the team was heading back that evening. She asked Emily to meet her at her office in the morning and they would then come over and speak with the Unit Chief. Emily thanked the older woman for the information and confirmed that she would see her in the morning.

 **####**

Penelope Garcia walked into the bullpen and spied the new agent working diligently at her desk.

Garcia had been covertly observing her for days now wondering what to make of this woman. A bit of digging while in between searches for the team had given her enough information to be intrigued about the brunette.

Each time she saw her, Agent Prentiss was pouring over the old case files that Strauss had given her. Garcia would occasionally see her make notes for herself. And from what Garcia noted of her coffee drinking habit, she should fit into the team just fine.

Garcia had discovered that Strauss had hired this new agent over the heads of Hotch and Gideon. If Garcia was going to place a bet, she would wager that Agent Prentiss hadn't known it either when she was offered the job. It would be just like that witch Strauss to pull something like that. Garcia was just hoping Hotch would give this new agent a chance.

Garcia had introduced herself a couple of days ago. Remembering what she was holding in her hands, Garcia walking over to Agent Prentiss.

"Hi there, how is your day going?"

"It's going well. How about you?" Emily looks over and smiles taking in the bright dress and platform heels. Over the last few days, Emily had found herself amused by the colorful technical analyst.

"Well, I'm almost on my way out. The case is solved and the team is heading back tonight. Hotch will more than likely stop by but the rest usually will just head straight home. Which reminds me. I need to drop this case off on Hotch's desk." Garcia says while holding up a file folder. "He has an e-copy but will want this when he stops in. It's a new case for consult that the team will be reviewing tomorrow morning. Do you want a preview?" Garcia holds out the file.

"Please." Emily smiles and takes the file from Garcia and places it on the desk in front of her.

"OK. Just make sure you put it on Hotch's desk before you leave or he'll have my head." Garcia turns and looks back around.

"I can do that. Thanks Garcia." Emily turns back to her desk and opens the file.

"Goodnight then. Don't stay too late. Mornings comes early around here." Garcia takes one last look at the profiler and then walks out of the bullpen towards her office. It had been a long week but the case was solved and she had a date.

 **####**

Emily looks up and realizes she had been working on the profile for the case Garcia gave her for over an hour. Looking down at her notes, she was confident that she had a strong preliminary profile that she could share with Agent Hotchner when he arrived.

Looking around the bullpen, Emily realized that she didn't know when the team left St Louis or when they were expected to arrive back at Quantico. And when they did, she can't be at this desk.

Emily knew Aaron. She knows that he is being forced to accept her on his team. But things will go better for them in the long run if there is at least the illusion that he is giving consent.

Emily didn't want to have Strauss bring her over tomorrow morning and force the issue. She wanted him to give her a chance because she has the skills to do this job. And she is going to show him that tonight with her profile.

To that end, she packs all her stuff back in her box. Now where to wait. Emily looks around and ultimately decides to wait in his office. No chance of missing him then.

After placing her box on couch, Emily walks around profiling the man whose office this is. When her eyes reach the desk, she sees picture frames.

After looking toward the elevators, Emily walks closer and picks up a picture of a woman and a little boy. One of the first things she had noticed the other day was that he was wearing a wedding ring. This must be his wife and son.

Taking a closer look at the picture, Emily laments on the woman who he chose to marry and how vastly different they were. She was petite, pretty and blonde.

Emily sighs and thinks he picked her exact opposite. Had he ever been attracted to her when this picture seemed to show that Emily wasn't even his type?

Then her eyes fell to the little boy. He looked in the picture to be around 1. He was adorable. There was no doubt that this was Aaron's son. He looked just like him though with lighter hair. Emily wiped a tear away from her eyes, not realizing that they had welled up.

Putting the frame down, Emily walked away from the desk and sat down on the couch next to her box. And waited.

 **####**

Aaron Hotchner was annoyed as he took the elevator up to the BAU. He had just hung up the phone with Haley. There had been a delay with the jet leaving St Louis and they were back later than anticipated. To say she was displeased was an understatement. Haley was pissed. His job was a growing source of discontentment in his marriage.

He could understand on some level. No one likes it when their spouse travels constantly. In the last 6 months, Hotch had to leave from the birthday celebration she had planned for him. Missed medical appointments for Jack that he intended to be there to attend. And had to cut his 2 week vacation short after only 2 days when Randall Gardner had targeted the team.

But it was Haley who pushed him to take the Unit Chief position when it was offered after what happened to Gideon in Boston. Haley wanted his career to advance, to be in a prestigious position. Still did. But unfortunately to do that he needed to put in his time as a Unit Chief. Then he could be considered for a higher position in another year when there was an opening.

But first he needed to not give Erin Strauss any ammunition against him. And this week, that was going to mean accepting the new agent to his team.

He would watch Emily carefully. If she was unqualified, than that would reflect more on Strauss, as she was who signed off on the transfer rather than on him.

However, in the short term, it looked like he was going to have to accept Emily's presence on his team. Unless she had decided to leave on her own.

Walking into the bullpen, Hotch noticed that no one was there. Not surprising considering how late it was. And he was going to be back out in under 5 minutes. Hotch walks into his office and immediately notices movement on his couch. He looks over and noticed immediately it was Emily Prentiss.

"Please tell me you haven't been there for the last 4 days." He says as he shakes his head.

 _I really should have anticipated she wasn't going to give up so easily_.

"I heard you were flying back tonight." Emily replied from her seat on his couch.

 _Yeah, he just wanted to leave. But that was not happening until we talk. Just the 2 of us before Strauss gets involved tomorrow._

"Heard? How could you have heard a thing like that?"

 _What the hell?! Who told her that? Sigh. Strauss, of course. Damn that woman._

"This was dropped off today." She hands him the file that had been sitting on her lap that Garcia gave her earlier in the day.

 _Yes I was holding the file you were looking for, Aaron._

"I appreciate your interest, Agent, but profiling is a specialty. We can't just let anyone who wants to give it a whirl."

 _Ah, so he's going to try to get me to respond personally since he knows how long I've been interested in profiling. Nice try, Aaron. Not taking the bait. I want this job._

Emily takes a deep breathe and indicates to the file. "The I-80 killer? Co-eds in Indiana?"

 _Interesting. She ignored the attempt to turn the conversation personal._

"Yes, I read it on the plane."

 _Interesting case that we should have been asked to consult on before there were 11 victims._

"They aren't blitz attacks." _Wait, what? Ok you have my attention._ "This guy's organized. He's a white male, early 30s, and a smooth talker, because even after 11 victims, he can still convince educated women who know there's a predator out there to get into his car." _That was very close to what I had hypothesized on the plane._

Hotch takes a breath and asks, "How would you advise the police?"

 _OK Emily. You have the basics, I'll give you that. Good. But that is only part of completing consults. How to advise the police on how to proceed is the most important part. Strauss is forcing you onto this team, let's see what you can do._

"I would stake out the Ranch House, a night club in Gary. They have a very popular ladies night on Thursdays. If you look closely, you'll see that 8 out of the 11 victims went missing on a Friday morning. So something gets this creep's motor running on Thursdays."

 _Wow. She does have some training. She nailed 2 major trends in victimology. And obvious did some research as this night club wasn't named anywhere in the file._

Emily takes a breath and continues. "This isn't a whirl, Agent Hotchner. I don't know how the paperwork got screwed up or maybe you believe my parents pulled some strings, which they didn't, by the way."

 _Believe me, my parents don't want me in the FBI let alone catching the monsters the BAU deals with. There is no way they would have helped me get this position._

"I belong in this unit. And all I'm asking you for is the chance to show you that."

 _Who introduced who to profiling again, Aaron?_

"I still need to look into this. I'm not promising anything." Emily tilted her head and looked into Aaron hazel eyes. She saw all the raw emotion he was observing her with now.

As she was taking in his expression, Aaron was lost in Emily's eyes. He saw the same eyes he saw across the bookstore and fell in love with all those years ago.

Suddenly he blinked. They can't do this. Not now. And definitely not here.

"Understood."

 _If that's your story, Aaron then I'll let you run with it. We both know Strauss signed off on my transfer and isn't changing her mind._

"We brief new cases every morning at 10:00 am. You can see facilities management about a desk."

 _Well, I kind of already have a desk. Strauss had Facilities Management assign me one 4 days ago to have somewhere to work. But you don't need to know that right now. I should just get out of here before you changes your mind._

"You won't be sorry."

 _No though you may be once we put you through the wringer with skills assessments. You're going to have to prove yourself. And if you can't handle it, then well I'll have something to take to Strauss._

Hotch sits back in his chair as Emily Prentiss walked down into the bullpen and out to the elevators. He wasn't expecting her to be waiting in his office or had reviewed one of their cases. But that was his fault. He knew Emily and should have anticipated that she would up the ante.

He wanted to be angry with her. For hurting him. For leaving him. But when he looked into her eyes, the anger melted away. She was just as beautiful today as she was back when they met. But he was going to need to keep his distance.

And speaking of distance...he had his file. It was late and he needed to get home. Haley was waiting for him. How to handle the new addition to the team would need to wait until tomorrow.

 **AN: At one point I planned on writing a much longer story. I don't write fast enough to write the story I wanted. This one shot is a part of the larger story that I did finish. Please let me know what you think. I have more scenes that I can turn into oneshots if there is interest.**


	2. Author Note

WOW! Thanks for all of the great feedback.

Since there is interest, I will write more along this storyline. However I will be publishing it as a series of oneshots or short stories instead of one long story.

My priority right now is to finish The Good Daughter. There are only about 7 chapters plus an epilogue left. However as I mentioned, I have various parts from this storyline mostly written so I will work to continue here as well.

I'm planning to post another one shot sometime in the next few days once I finish the edits.


	3. Author's Note

As I mentioned last week, I have placed all of the oneshots on the Hotchniss storyline into one document and will continue the story there.

The new story's title is Our Unpredictable Road.


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